Why I’m not traveling all summer

It would be a lie to say that paid vacation isn’t an awesome part of being a lectrice. If anyone’s like, “Oh, the vacation doesn’t really matter to me, I love teaching French students at the fac so much I could do it twelve months a year!” they are full of shit.

No. Vacation is awesome.

But I still manage to overthink it.

Because I feel like I’m doing vacation wrong.

I feel like I should pack a bag and take the train all over Italy for a month, or hang out on the beach, carefree, in Croatia or Greece. It would be the perfect time to visit Normandy and Bretagne, where I’ve never been. Escaping the heatwave is reason enough to go!

But I’m still in Lyon.

It’s too hot, my favorite cafés (aka where the AC is) are closed in August, and almost everyone I know is out of town. It’s the ideal time to get out of town. So why haven’t I?

I was traveling for a few weeks in May and June when my family came to visit from California. We went to Germany, Switzerland, Paris, Bourgogne, and Vienna. I needed a little break to rest and you know, get clean underwear.

Then we moved apartments. It was the slowest move ever. Snails move house faster than we did. (Snails have an unfair advantage because they don’t have a washing machine.) My roommates moved out a week and a half before we did, and with them went the furniture, the stove, the refrigerator, the plates, everything. I tell ya, you don’t appreciate stuff like cutlery until it’s gone!

Also, it was 100 degrees, we lived in a five story walkup, and we had no refrigerator. I’m not convinced we wouldn’t have been better off dragging our mattress down by the river.

We moved into the new apartment gradually over a month. At the beginning, I was just happy to have a fridge and a coffee maker. Now I’m excited that we finally have a table. Tables are awesome!

Hugo found out that I was not exaggerating when I said I had the upper body strength of a chipmunk, but unfortunately we were already lugging a fold-out couch down the street (from two blocks away because there was no parking!) We are going to have to live here forever because no way are we moving all this furniture again.

So now we have a home, and instead of summer travels, I have a weird summer non-routine. It feels like being unemployed, even though I’m not. Do you know when you’re home all day, and you do everything on your list that you’re supposed to do, but you still feel like you haven’t accomplished anything at the end of the day?

Some days it’s hard to focus because the heat makes me feel braindead, so I languish in front of the fan and look up how much it would cost to go to Girona or Bordeaux, like, right now. But instead of hitting the road whenever I feel antsy, I’m learning to stay put and chug forward steadily.

The best reason to stay put

Even so… I still have one trip planned for the end of the summer! After much should-I-or-shouldn’t-I agonizing, I booked tickets to Bilbao and San Sebastian in the Basque region of Spain. I was dying to go and felt that I would regret it if I didn’t while I have the time and the resources. Then I’m flying directly up north for a wedding, so I’ll crash through Brussels and Lille on my way. (Which city is more awesome? I have an afternoon to spend in one or the other!)

A lot of people might roll their eyes when I call this “not traveling.” Visiting Germany, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, and, for a hot second, Belgium, is not traveling?

But on the flip-side, travel junkies would probably be equally flabbergasted that I spent almost eight weeks of paid vacation at home.

(And if you’re American, you might just be gob-smacked that I have so much paid vacation. But don’t worry, you earn a lot more money than I do.)

I do feel (self-inflicted) pressure to travel around Europe as much as I can while I can, because I have no idea how my life is going to change in a year. And there are a lot of places I want to go. I’m already dreaming about Toussaint vacation at the end of October. (Lisbon? Florence? Istanbul? Budapest?)

But for now, I’m doing the best I can to balance wanderlust with other priorities. I’m not a glamourous jetsetter, but I’m okay with that. Sometimes it’s nice to stay home.

Besides, how could I leave these guys?

If you’ve blogged about the Basque Country, post a link in the comments! I’d love to hear your tips.

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8 thoughts on “Why I’m not traveling all summer”

I spent my summer holiday mostly hanging out in Valenciennes when I was a lectrice (with just a quick trip to Aix and Poitiers). It was a good way to save up money for bigger trips (went to Thailand the following spring) and also it was nice to relax. I also ended up finding new tutoring clients in August that I kept the entire year and then some.

If you come to Lille, Dana and I would love to show you around! Though I guess it depends on what day it is as well…

I feel the same way! And then I feel like a snob!! I traveled a lot during the year though so I need to remember that, and did a bit with my parents and mom since they’ve been here (though not beach destinations!) I’m going to Slovenia at the end of August because, like you, I found cheap tickets and I’ve always wanted to go, and I don’t know if I’ll have the chance again!

That makes me feel better because you are like a travel machine! I love reading about all the cool places you’ve been. You might actually be in Slovenia when I pass through Lille (last Friday of the month) but if you’re there I’d love to say hi!

ah darn! I WILL be in Slovenia, but that’s the day I come home (towards the night though!) Darn! It’s a shame because I spent NYE with all of your friends coincidentally! Have fun regardless, keep me posted x 🙂